Drywall and acoustical tiling are commonly used in carpentry work. Drywall is commonly secured over the studs of a housing frame to create the walls of the room or similar structure. Acoustical tile is most often utilized in suspended ceilings, the individual acoustical tiles resting within the contours of the suspended grid or frame. Manufacturers of drywall and acoustical tile produce these items in designated sizes, for example, drywall is commonly obtained in 4.times.8 foot sheets and acoustical tiling is commonly obtained in 2.times.2 and 2.times.4 foot tiles.
As the wall or ceiling space allows, full sheets or tiles may be used during construction. However, drywall and acoustical tile must generally be cut to fit around corners, light fixtures, windows, and other similar design constraints common to walls and ceilings. Thus, the installment of drywall or a suspended ceiling is slowed down considerably by the time required to cut the needed dimensions out of the available standard sheet and tile sizes.
One method commonly used for trimming tile and drywall down to desired dimensions involves the use of a drywall "T" square. The "T" square consists of a ruler slidably attached perpendicularly to a flat guiding edge so that the ruler may be extended or retracted to measure off a specific distance from the guiding edge. Unwanted width or length may be trimmed from a work piece by sliding the ruler to extend beyond the guiding edge by the desired length to be removed, setting the guiding edge flush against the side of the work piece to be trimmed and, using the end of the ruler as a guide, running a utility knife along a line parallel to the edge of the work piece. In this manner, the desired dimensions can be achieved, while retaining the straight edge of the original work piece. The utilization of a combination square is still undesirably time consuming because of the time required to readjust the ruler setting for trimming different dimensions off of individual work pieces. Moreover, misplacement or temporary loss of the square, as with other tools, is a common problem.
Carpenters most commonly use a method similar to that employed in the use of a "T" square but that does not involve the unwanted time delay. In this method, the guiding edge of the "T" square is replaced by the carpenter's finger. The carpenter grips the ruler or tape measure at the desired trim length and places his index finger flush against the side of the work piece to be trimmed, placing the end of the ruler at the desired cutoff length. A utility knife is then run across the length of the work piece using the end of the ruler as a guide for the knife and the finger as a guide for the ruler. The end of the ruler is kept equidistant from the edge of the work piece by the carpenter's index finger which remains flush against the edge of the work piece as he guides the utility knife and ruler down its length. This method may also be used in conjunction with a carpenter's pencil to draw a guideline for trimming sheets of plywood and, indeed, it may be used in any number of instances where the dimensions of various work pieces must be marked off or cut. In this manner, a carpenter can quickly and accurately trim or mark off the dimensions of a work piece and can cut or mark off different lengths simply by gripping the ruler at a different position rather than having to deal with adjusting the slidable ruler of the combination square.
Using this method, the carpenter is faced with another set of problems. Acoustical tile commonly contains fiberglass or other particulate matter which cut at the skin on the carpenter's index finger as he drags it along the tile's edge. Similarly, drywall contains gypsum which can cause severe drying of the skin which leads to uncomfortable chaffing and cracking. When using this method to pencil in a straight line on a sheet of plywood, the carpenter is susceptible to picking up splinters.
To protect their fingers, many carpenters wrap their index finger with electrical tape to provide a layer of protection between their skin and the edge of the work piece. Electrical tape is commonly chosen because it provides a slick outside surface able to slide smoothly along the edge of the work piece. However, this protection method becomes time consuming in itself because, as the finger sweats, the electrical tape looses its adhesive properties and needs to be replaced. Furthermore, many carpenters, after taping their index finger numerous times, have experienced a loss of sensation in that finger possibly due to slight nerve damage caused by the tightly wound electrical tape. Furthermore, the tightly wound tape compromises the dexterity of the carpenter's finger, making it difficult for the carpenter to bend and flex the finger and grip various objects such as nails, screws, nuts, bolts and the like.
Others have used various types of gloves to provide the needed protection. Due to the heat inherent with wearing a glove, the three fingers and thumb of the gloves are usually cut off, leaving only the index finger remaining. This protection requires the unwanted expense of buying and subsequently destroying a pair of gloves. When the index finger of the glove wears out, a new pair must be bought and altered for its purpose.
It is therefore desirable to provide a finger guard for use in trimming or marking boards or tile that protects the finger from splinters, the drying effects of gypsum, the abrasive effects of fiberglass and other particulate matter; provides a surface that will slide well along the edge of a work piece; is inexpensive to replace; and can be permanently worn without compromising the dexterity of the carpenter's hand.